Teachers, school staff, students and their families at “certain secondaries” in Covid hotspots in London and the South East are being urged to get tested this weekend.

The government has said that hundreds of thousands of tests will be offered to staff and students in the secondary schools in parts of north-east London, Essex and Kent because of concerns about the virus rates in the secondary school age group - but it has not revealed which schools.

Mobile testing units are being deployed in or near the schools and home tests kits will be distributed from tomorrow, with school staff, students and their families being urged to get tested this weekend. 

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The Department of Health and Social Care has warned that cases in London, Essex and Kent have been rising rapidly, with the fastest rates in those aged under 11 to 18 years-old.

Coronavirus: Fears over cases in secondary schools

Today it has published a list of the affected areas of London and Essex that are being targeted for testing of secondary school students.

The plan for rapid testing of secondary students in parts of London, Essex and Kent was announced by health secretary Matt Hancock last night.

But school leaders in hard-hit areas of the North of England have questioned why this rapid testing was not made available to them when they experienced higher rates of Covid than are being seen in London now.

The government has said that the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that almost one in three people in England show no symptoms of having the virus but are still able to pass it on.

Schools and colleges will be provided with information on how to get tests, and parents or carers will be able to apply for tests using an online testing portal.

Children under 16 attending a mobile testing unit need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

In London 44,000 home test kits will be made available for school staff, including teachers, to carry out tests before returning in January. 

The Department of Health and Social Care said 15 mobile testing units will be deployed in or near schools for staff, students and their families to be tested in the north east of the capital.

This will provide approximately 75,000 additional tests over and above existing test sites in the city.

An additional 10 mobile testing units will be deployed in Essex over the weekend and two additional units will be deployed in Kent.